Growing Food in Southern Lakes - May Edition: Build Soil, Save Seeds, Prepare for Spring

Food Resiliencebetter communities
Written By Babu Blatt

Growing food in the Southern Lakes just got easier. Fifteen local growers are teaming up to share what actually works in our climate, helping beginners get started with confidence.

Whether you are renting, working with pots or planter boxes, or have access to a small patch of land, now is the time to begin. This new monthly blog brings together practical, seasonal knowledge from across the region to help households grow food, forage, and build up their pantry for the year ahead. Each edition will offer clear, usable guidance for different growing spaces, from a single pot or sunny windowsill through to a productive garden bed.

As we head into winter, this month’s focus is on building soil, saving seeds, and setting yourself up for spring. Because yes, this is when it starts.

Microgreens are easy to grow indoors and packed with nutrients. A simple way to keep fresh food on your plate through the winter months when outdoor growing is more limited.

Brought to you by the Southern Lakes Kai Collective

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Brought to you by the Southern Lakes Kai Collective 〰️

Get your hands in the soil, grow your own food, and find joy in the simple act of nurturing life.

Your May challenge!

Choose one… or more!

  • Build one garden bed or one veggie pot and feed your soil

  • Sow & grow microgreens

  • Save seeds

  • Stock pantry staples

  • Source apples and preserve them

  • Talk to a gardening neighbour

  • If you are just starting out, this is one of the easiest and most important things you can do in May. You do not need special skills or equipment. Just work through it step by step.

    Equipment

    If you start small using pots, you may only need:

    • a container in which to plant your mini-garden

    • an old bucket or two to mix soil/compost etc., 

    • a watering can

    If you have an outdoor area you can grow food in, you may need:

    • Spade (for removing grass if starting from scratch)

    • Wheelbarrow or old buckets (moving compost, soil, leaves)

    • Shovel or buckets (for applying compost or soil)

    • Rake or hands (to level beds)

    • Fadge or sack (for collecting leaves, optional but useful)

    • 4 pegs and chicken-wire to protect your garden from rabbits / dogs, etc.

    • A watering can or a hose with a spraying nozzle

    1. Start small 

    Start small. One bed, one square metre, or one large pot is enough. Local growers consistently say manageable beats ambitious.

    Start with:

    • A small in-ground or raised bed (max 1 x 3m, no wider than 1m for easy access)

    • Containers or planter boxes (use food-safe containers and avoid unknown plastics or containers that previously held chemicals)

    • A sunny corner with pots

    • A windowsill indoors

    If gardening in pots, aim for at least 10 to 20 litres per pot for most vegetables. Bigger pots are easier to manage, with less drying out, more stable growth and fewer problems overall. 

    This allows you to:

    • Learn gradually

    • Build confidence

    • Avoid overwhelm

    • See real results quickly

    For renters 

    You do not need to own land to grow food. You can use pots, buckets, and portable systems. 

    You could also consider speaking to your landlord about your intention to build food resilience and whether a small 1 x 3 m garden bed could be established on the property.

    Community growing spaces

    QLDC is providing reserve land and fruit and nut trees for organised community groups. Worth exploring if you can join or form a group.

    2. Find your growing space (starting from scratch)

    If you are starting from nothing, choose a space that:

    • Gets the most sun available (especially spring sun - aiming for 6+ hours)

    • Is easy to access for watering and care

    • Is not too large to maintain

    • Is reasonably sheltered from wind

    • Has pest protection if possible (rabbits are common)

    You do not need perfection, just something workable.

    Resources:

    3. Clear the space

    Option A: Sheet Mulch (recommended for beginners)

    • Lay cardboard over grass/weeds (it takes several months to kill off grass)

    • Wet thoroughly

    • Cover with compost, leaves or mulch

    • Then weigh it down with timber or stones

    Option B: Manual clearing

    • Remove grass and roots (3–8 cm deep) using a spade

    • Remove persistent weeds fully (including roots)

    • Keep organic matter where possible

    • Then as above: wet, cover with compost, leaves or mulch

    4. Build your soil foundation (priority step)

    If you only do one thing, do this.

    Think about what you want to grow in Spring and aim for the following recommended friable soil depths:

    • Leafy greens/herbs: 15–20 cm

    • Most vegetables: 20–30 cm

    • Deep-rooted crops (carrots, brassicas, tomatoes): 30–40 cm

    Friable means the soil has a crumbly, loose texture in which plant roots can take hold. If the soil is compact, making the soil more friable can be achieved with gentle forking (place the broadfork in the soil and loosen slightly). It’s important, however, to only do this as a once-off, as repetitive forking can damage soil structure and make compaction worse in the long run. 

    Once you have cleared and forked a patch, add:

    • 2–5 cm compost layer

    • Do not dig in (soil life will incorporate it naturally)

    • Aged, well-rotted manure if available

    Reuse what you already have:

    • Cardboard (weed suppression)

    • Fallen leaves (Tip - pick up leaves with a lawn mower to mulch & mix in lawn clippings for instant compost/mulch mix)

    • Kitchen scraps & bokashi buckets (trench directly into the garden, or add to compost)

    • Garden trimmings - when clearing your gardens for winter, leave roots in the ground and chop and drop any non-seedy organics to compost in place, the soil life will love it.

    If you already have a bed:

    • Remove large weeds (especially persistent weeds such as couch grass)

    • Do not dig deeply, aim to aerate the soil without turning it over. Use a garden fork.

    • Add compost and mulch, chop & drop old plants, dig in kitchen scraps over winter.

    Alternative soil & compost sources:

    Next month we’ll look at how to make your own compost and potting mix. For now, if you want to get a bed ready for spring, you may need to source some compost elsewhere:

    • Compost and topsoil from Mitre 10 or local suppliers

    • Mushroom compost and topsoil from Upper Clutha Transport (bring a trailer or buckets)

    • Green waste materials:

      • Wanaka Greenwaste and Landscaping Supplies

        • Location: Ballantyne Road (next to Wastebusters)

        • Hours: Monday - Sunday 10.00am - 3.00pm

        • Contact: 027 476 6034 

        • Mulch, compost, bark and most landscaping supplies. 

        • A few bags available. Or bring your trailer. Courtesy trailer available.

      • Community Greenwaste stations

        • Check your local community station for mulch sales

        • https://www.qldc.govt.nz/community/community-associations-and-groups

    • In Queenstown you can order compost from the good people at Waste to Wilderness

    • And/or get ready to make your own: Stock pile - leaves, grass clippings, small branches, animal bedding, larger garden waste that can’t be left on the bed to compost. Think about manure sources - can you access animal manure for free? Keep in mind that some animals may be drenched/medicated - Sheep poo, cow poo, chicken coop bedding, rabbit poo! Horse poo is abundant but must be heat treated first to avoid weeds transferring to your garden.

    • SeaCliff has some fabulous organic supplements. Use the SeaCliff Organics seed-raising mix sparingly only where your vegetable are being planted to save money while supporting plant growth.

    5. Protect your soil over winter

    Mulching means covering the soil surface with a protective layer of natural material. It protects from spring wind erosion, stops compaction from heavy rains & keeps soil moist which builds soil life.

    Use:

    • Autumn leaves

    • Straw or pea straw

    • Untreated grass clippings (thin layers) 

    • Wood chip

    • Shredded garden waste

    • Comfrey leaves

    You can layer cardboard underneath to reduce weeds.

    6. Leave it to rest

    Once compost and mulch are in place:

    • Do not over-dig

    • Let worms and microbes work

    • Allow winter breakdown

    Why this matters:

    Healthy soil:

    • Stores nutrients

    • Holds moisture

    • Reduces weeds

    • Supports spring growth

    • Makes gardening easier

  • Outdoors 

    • Miners Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) and Lambs Lettuce (Valerianella locusta (also called corn salad or mâche): both very frost tolerant, reliable winter crops. They can be sown or dug up (whole clumps with soil transplanted from another garden). Note: once it’s in your garden it will come back every winter!

    • Broad beans for November harvest: Direct sowing (preferred method) - Sow seed directly in the soil, about 5 to 7 cm deep, space seeds 15 to 20 cm apart in rows. Seeds stay dormant or grow slowly through winter

    • Strawberries (established plants or well rooted runners)

    • Parsley seedlings

    • Garlic (planting season is upon us, save large organic garlic bulbs, plant anytime from now through until July, the earlier the better for larger bulbs and less chance of disease)

    • If you have a tunnel or glasshouse, it’s ok to plant some quick-growing greens seedlings such as Asian Greens or mesclun salad mixes:  Rocket, Mizuna, and Mibuna.

    • Any brassica seedlings, best to plant these after the shortest day now (after 21 June).

    • Any other greens, best to wait for August.

    • For existing gardens, look after your winter vegetables to encourage successive harvests. Clean up plants and beds to help prevent winter pests. Leave broccoli in the ground for side shoots. Harvest cabbage or fennel 1 cm above the base to encourage baby cabbages or fennel in spring. Cut Asian greens, lettuce, and spring onions 1 cm above the base for quick new shoots through winter.

    Garden pests 

    • Slugs are a common winter pest, beer traps and half-pipes for daytime hiding can work - consistent hunting and removal is key! 

    Indoors

    • Microgreens

    • Mesclun salad mixes - Rocket, Mizuna, Mibuna are the quickest

    • Asian Greens - Pak Choi, Tatsoi

    • Herbs

    • Sprouting seeds

    Microgreens

    Microgreens are especially good for beginners: fast, easy, reliable and nutritious. Compared with sprouts, they generally come out ahead for overall nutrition.

    Use small flat trays with drainage holes, and 1-2cm depth of coconut coir, to grow things like Pea Shoots, Radish, Broccoli, Sunflower Shoots, Mung Bean Shoots. Sow densely over the entire surface, do not cover seeds with soil, instead water well and stack another tray on top to cover and put something heavy on top. Leave in a warm dark place until fully germinated, 3-5 days, then uncover, pop in a sunny place and water daily. 

    Snip off with scissors or a sharp knife when you are happy with the size & enjoy. 

    Radish will be ready to eat in less than a week, Pea Shoots in 2 weeks. Don’t forget to sow new trays regularly for a continuous supply.  

    You should replace the coconut coir each time you sow a fresh tray. Dispose of the old coir and micro green roots in your compost. 


    Twice-a-week microgreen rhythm (1-2 people household)

    Below is a simple way to get started by only having to do something twice a week. With this system, you’ll have between 4 and 8 trays on the go at any given time, so if you don’t have room for that, simply do half the amount instead.

    Pick any two consistent ‘visit’ days, for example:

    • Tuesday + Saturday

    (Spacing them out gives you steadier growth and less “everything ready at once” pressure.)

    What to do each ‘visit’

    👉 TUESDAY (Sow day + light check)

    • Sow 1 radish tray (10–15 g)

    • Sow 1 broccoli tray (8–12 g)

    • Check all existing trays

    • Water as needed

    • Harvest anything that is clearly ready (optional)

    👉 SATURDAY (Sow + harvest day)

    • Sow 1 pea tray (100–150 g)

    • Sow 1 sunflower OR mung bean tray (120–160 g) rotate weekly

    • Check all existing trays

    • Harvest anything ready for use that week

    Good to know: tray lifespan (seeding to harvest)

    Fast crops:

    Radish

    • Germination: 2–4 days covered

    • Ready to harvest: 6–10 days from sowing

    • Tray active lifespan: about 1 week

    Broccoli

    • Germination: 2–4 days covered

    • Ready: 7–12 days

    • Tray lifespan: 1 to 1.5 weeks

    Medium crops:

    Sunflower

    • Germination: 2–4 days

    • Ready: 8–12 days

    • Tray lifespan: 1.5 weeks

    Mung bean

    • Ready: 7–10 days

    • Tray lifespan: about 1 week

    Slower crop:

    Pea shoots

    • Germination: 3–5 days

    • Ready: 10–16 days

    • Tray lifespan: 2 weeks

    What this setup gives you

    After 2–3 weeks of running:

    • Always 2 trays in early growth stage

    • Always 1–2 trays approaching harvest

    • Flexible harvesting (nothing urgent or time-sensitive)

    • Fresh greens available even if you skip a visit by a day or two

    • Missed a day? Nothing collapses

    Resources:

Rosehip glowing in the wild, a small fruit packed with goodness and a reminder of nature’s quiet resilience.

  • Seed saving starts now

    It’s the end of season now, so there is not much left to collect. If you had food growing in your garden you may still find dry seed heads on beans, peas, and herbs such as coriander. 

    A simple timing rule: seed is ready when it is fully dry, brown, and rattles in its pod or head, and comes away easily without any green or soft parts remaining. 

    • Collect mature seeds

    • Dry thoroughly

    • Store cool, dry, labelled

    Seed saving builds resilience and local adaptation. 

    If you have no seed of your own, see if a friend, neighbour or local library can spare you some. Alternatively, purchase some seeds now (see below ‘Choose Seeds for Real Food’).

    Booklet by the Koanga Institute Save Your Own Seeds

    Choose seeds for real food

    When choosing seeds, focus on foods your household already enjoys eating, aim for a mix of carbohydrates, protein, calorie crops and greens, and choose varieties you know you will actually use in regular meals, with some that you can store for later use (pumpkin). 

    A strong beginner baseline:

    • Kale or silverbeet

    • Courgettes (1 or 2 plants is usually sufficient)

    • Beans or peas 

    • Potatoes

    • Carrots

    • Onions or garlic

    • Pumpkin

    • Herbs

    If you cannot get seeds from friends or neighbours, Kings Seeds has a huge variety to choose from. Local garden centres are also a good option.

    You could also reach out to local community gardens to see whether they sell seeds or seedlings in spring.

    Excellent beginner growing information for New Zealand can be found HERE , including NZ’s 4 climate zones. We are in Zone 4. 

    Our biggest limiting factor in our local growing climate is low light levels over winter, this is where we differ from other Zone 4 growers, plants need sun to grow, so timing for an abundant winter garden is pretty crucial - Understand Our Local Growing Climate.

  • Low cost gardening tips

    • Swap seeds

    • Collect compost materials

    • Share tools

    • Join community gardens

    • Start neighbourhood growing groups

    • Reuse materials creatively (keep in mind that you want non-toxic materials near the food you grow!)

    Use winter well

    Use winter to:

    • Identify sunny areas in your garden

    • Note frost zones in your garden

    • Plan bed locations (if you are postponing the bed building, or plan to create more later in the year)

    • Think about what your household actually eats

    • Source seeds early

    • For existing gardens: use winter to fix any issues you had in your garden the previous season eg. create a barrier to stop creeping persistent weeds from getting back in every season. Reorganise any irrigation to be more effective & time efficient. Did you have any drainage issues during heavy rain events? Can you do anything to fix that? Cover/mulch any pathways to stop weeds and help with soil health. Do you need to build any trellising or new structures to help you grow more effectively? Can you set up heat sinks to help with early spring growing? Have you been thinking of getting a glass or tunnel house? Now is a great time to get them set up.

  • Food resilience is not only about what you grow or store. It is also about noticing what food already exists around you. Local foraging knowledge helps households identify seasonal wild foods, fruit trees, herbs, nuts, mushrooms and edible weeds in our landscape. Building this knowledge increases confidence, reduces waste, saves money and reconnects people with place.

    Even learning a few safe, abundant species each season can meaningfully strengthen household food resilience.

    Start small and safe:

    • Learn correct identification

    • Avoid sprayed or polluted areas

    • Take only what you need

    • Leave plenty for others and nature

    • Never eat wild plants or mushrooms unless identification is certain.

    Forage now: rosehip & walnutsRosehips are one of the most useful free seasonal foods available in autumn around the district. Traditionally gathered for centuries as winter nutrition when fresh fruit was scarce, they are valued for their high vitamin C content, often far higher than many common fruits.

    They are usually ready in late autumn when bright red and plump, and May is an ideal harvest time locally. Pick them with gloves, then dry for tea or simmer and strain into a ruby syrup for winter drinks and breakfasts. You can also make a nutrient rich rosehip decoction by adding a few handfuls of dried rosehips to a pot with one litre of water, bringing it to a gentle simmer with a lid on (do not boil hard) for around 20 minutes.

    Walnuts are another abundant autumn food across the Upper Clutha, with mature trees in many public spaces and backyards, including Station Park. After windy days, fresh nuts are often found on the ground, making collection easy.

    Collect only fallen nuts with husks split or removed. Dry in a single layer in a warm, airy place for 2 to 4 weeks until shells feel light and dry inside. Store in-shell in a cool, dry place for 6 - 12 months. Alternatively, you can also shell the nuts and freeze for longer storage (1 - 2 years).

    Walnuts are rich in healthy fats, protein, and omega 3s, making them a useful winter pantry food and a nutritious addition to baking, breakfasts and everyday meals.

Apples are in abundance right now, dry them, sauce them, chutney them or freeze them and turn surplus into everyday resilience.

  • Food resilience is not only gardening, it includes your household pantry.

    Start building staples for a few weeks:

    • Rice

    • Pasta

    • Flour (plain and wholemeal)

    • Salt

    • Tinned beans

    • Tinned tomatoes

    • Tinned fish (sardines, tuna, salmon) - these are a protein-rich pantry staple. Look for MSC-certified options where possible. Pams is generally a reliable and widely available choice in Southern Lakes supermarkets.

    This helps when fresh food is scarce, prices rise or shops are inconvenient.

    You’ll also want to learn how to store food properly to make it last longer. For example, onions and potatoes should be kept in a cool, dark place with good airflow. However, they should not be stored together. Onions release moisture and gases that can cause potatoes and other produce to spoil more quickly, so keep them in separate locations.

    Look out for:

    Resources:

    • Dishes with Del (pantry and waste reduction tips)

    • Every Bite initiative (food waste reduction programme. In 2026 it ran on 29 April in Queenstown and 30 April in Wanaka)

    • Community produce stands (Community Link: These public shelves allow people to share excess garden produce with others, helping ensure more households have regular access to healthy food while reducing unnecessary waste. Note some of these may be stored away for winter)

    At the moment, many of the stands are regularly stocked with surplus apples. Surplus apples can be:

    Projects like the Community Produce Stands are a practical reminder that food resilience is not only about what you grow yourself, but also about sharing abundance within the community.

A colander full of winter greens, simple, nourishing and proof that the garden can keep giving even in the colder months.

The Southern Lakes Kai Collective at its inception in September 2024. It has since grown to 45 members from across the district and the wider food ecosystem.

More about the Southern Lakes Kai Collective mahi here.

Babu Blatt
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Better Transport: Introducing Nat Simmonds